Abstract
Manihot spp. (family Euphorbiaceae), commonly known as pornunça, is a forage plant that has been used in animal feed. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different conditions of organic adduction and cuts on the growth, productivity, and partition of aerial phytomass of pornunça in the Brazilian semiarid region. This work is part of a study to discover species of the Brazilian caatinga biome with agricultural potential. An experiment was conducted in the region of Cubatí - PB, Brazil, mesorregion of Borborema, and microregion of Seridó Oriental. The experimental design included randomized blocks with subdivided plots comprising two manure plots (bovine and ovine) and four cut subplots (February, June and October 2011, and February 2012). The sprout height, stem diameter, number of leaves, number of branches, green matter of the complete fraction, leaf green matter, green matter of the petiole, and green matter of the branch were evaluated. For sprout height, stem diameter (≤ 1.0 cm), green matter of the complete fraction, green matter of leaf limb, green petiole matter, and green matter of the branch, the best results were obtained in the first and second cuts. In contrast, the first and third cuttings allowed the management of a greater number of leaves and a greater number of branches of pornunça using both cattle manure and sheep manure and exhibited a morphophysiological characteristic of adaptation to the xeric environment, being a water deficit tolerant plant.
Highlights
The use of native plants as animal fodder in the form of hay, silage, or in natura represents a viable alternative for increasing the availability of food to the herd, primarily at times of the year when the rains are irregular
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of organic fertilization, bovine and ovine manure, on the vegetative growth, productivity, and partition of aerial phytomass of the pornunça suffering successive cuts in the Brazilian semiarid region, allowing to characterize the physiological differences in the two characteristic seasons of the Northeast Region, the rainy season and the dry season
Ferreira et al (2009) evaluated the growth, productivity, and chemical–bromatological composition of mandioca, maniçoba, and the natural hybrid pornunça in two pruning systems cultivated in the semiarid region and confirmed that cassava and pornunça exhibited final average heights of 106.8 and 116.4 cm, respectively, at 10 months after planting
Summary
The use of native plants as animal fodder in the form of hay, silage, or in natura represents a viable alternative for increasing the availability of food to the herd, primarily at times of the year when the rains are irregular. According to Moreira Filho, Silva, Andrade, Parente, and Viana (2008), the cultivation of native forage in xerophilous agriculture can reduce the risks of production loss due to seasonal fluctuations in precipitation events. The application of animal manure in areas of family agriculture in the Brazilian semiarid region is a common practice, aiming to supply the needs of nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus (Menezes & Salcedo, 2007). The soils of this region are deficient in N and P and have low productivity if nutrient replenishment does not occur (Menezes & Silva, 2008). S. Souto (2005) investigated the decomposition of manures arranged in different depths in a degraded area and confirmed that the highest decomposition rate that occurred during the experimental period was that of bovine and goat manure
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